Container assembling apparatus



Oct, 10, 1939. J. E. ANNEN CONTAINER ASSEIBLING APPARATUS Original FiledSept. 19, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENLIOR.

ATTORNEYS fd/77eo 5.1412172 Y P F bK ZW Oct. 10, 1939. J ANNEN 2,175,656

con-mum: ASSEIBLING APPARATUS Original FiledSept. 19, 1938 2Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. Jamea Z. Am? en ATTORNEYS Patented Oct. 10,1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Sutherland Paper Mich.

Company, Kalamazoo,

Original application September 19, 1938, Serial Divided and thisapplication March 27, 1939, Serial No. 264,405

4 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in container assemblingapparatus.

This is a division of my application Serial No. 230,575, filed September19, 1938.

The main objects of this invention are:

First, to provide improved container assembling apparatus for quicklyand easily assembling containers from the elements thereof which aresupplied in knock-down shipping form.

Second, to provide apparatus of the type described which is simple andinexpensive.

Third, to provide apparatus of the type described which is dependable inoperation and can be readily and quickly manipulated by a single 15"operator.

Objects relating to details and economies of the invention will appearfrom the description to follow. The invention is defined in the claims.

A structure embodying the features of my invention is illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the apparatus of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the apparatus, 5 being partially brokenaway to illustrate details of construction.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side view in section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2,further illustrating the arrangement of the parts, the parts being shown30 "in operative or container molding position.

Fig. 3A is a View similar to Fig. 3, illustrating the position of theparts in inoperative or discharge position.

Fig. 4 is a View in section on line 4-4 of Fig. 3. 5" Fig. 5 is anenlarged fragmentary view in vertical section, illustrating elements ofthe container in assembled or erected condition and in operativerelation thereof to the apparatus of the invention.

Fig. 6 is a detail view illustrating one of the molding segments orelements of the invention.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for assembling containerelements to erected condition to form a container suitable formerchandising ice cream or similar commodities. A container of the typeunder consideration is illustrated and described in my copendingapplication Serial No. 224,701, filed August 13, 1938. Such a containerand the elements thereof are also partially illustrated in Figs. 3 and 5hereof, consisting of a tubular side wall member I which is formed of asuitable grade of container board, in practice folded at oppositediametral points into fiat condition for shipping. The said member I hasa plurality of segmental sections 2 folded outwardly against the sideWall for locking engagement with the internal lip 3 of an annularchanneled metal rim member 4. This rim member 4 likewise surrounds orreceives the end member 5 having an annular flange 6 engageable in thechannel of the rim member 4. In assembling the elements I, 4 and 5, therim member 4 and end member 5 are initially disposed as illustrated inFig. 5 and the tubular wall member is then inserted within the flange 6and lip 3 by relative movement of the parts in the manner illustrated bythe arrow in Fig. 3. It will be understood that some provision isnecessary for expanding the collapsed tubular element I into cylindricalform and for engaging the same within the rim member 4 and it is withsuch provision that this invention deals.

The appartus of this invention consists of a standard or upright Imounted on a suitable base 8 and carrying on its top an inclined head 9adapted'to support the various instrumentalities to be hereinafterdescribed in such position as to be conveniently accessible to anoperator.

The head or support member 9 of the embodiment illustrated has aplurality of pairs of pivot ears I extending radially therefrom atequally spaced circumferential intervals.

I provide a plurality of complementary segmental conforming elements IIeach having an arcuateor concave downwardly inclined face I2, the facesof the several elements cooperating to provide a continuous annulardownwardly tapered or contracting guiding or conforming surfaceengageable by the tubular side wall member I and acting when the sidewall member is pushed downwardly therein to erect and conform the sameto its erected cylindrical form.

In the embodiment illustrated, each molding element is provided withradially projecting pivot arm I3 terminating in an enlarged 'boss orknuckle I l disposed between a coacting pair of ears Ill and receiving asupporting pivot I whereby the elements I I are pivotally or swingablysupported on the head. It should be understood, however, that thepivotal mounting of all of the elements is unnecessary as it isunnecessary to retract them all in freeing the work. It is, however, avery practical manufacturing expedient to have all the segments mountedin the same way. The faces of the elements I I terminate in undercutannular grooves or channels I I coacting to provide an annular channeladapted to receive the rim of a container with the bottom assembledtherein as is shown in Fig. 5. The shoulder I6 above this channel guidesthe side wall into position so that the rim engaging ledge 2 is broughtinto position to spring outwardly into the channel rim.

Underneath certain of the pivotally mounted arcuate molding elements llI dispose a plurality of tappet members or pins l8. These pins areslidable in apertures IS in the head 9 and have enlarged heads 26receivable in counterbored recesses 21 adjacent the apertures IS. Thefunction of these pins is to elevate certain of the elements I! whenactuated in a manner to be described and thereby free the erectedcontainer from the said molding elements for removal therefrom. In theillustrated embodiment there are four such pins 18 for a total of sixelements H, see Fig. 2, it being considered unnecessary and, in fact,undesirable to elevate all of the said elements for removal of theerected container. In fact, it is desirable that one or more of theelements remain resting on the base to enable a rim to be initiallypositioned in the apparatus for the assembling operation. The rim is oflarger diameter than the channel shoulder 16, so that some at least ofthe forming elements must be withdrawn for its insertion; were all ofthe elements elevated, it would be .difficult to properly position therim in the forming channel.

In order to elevate the pins [8 as described, I provide a treadle 22hinged to upright 1 at 23 and to a connecting rod 24 at its free end.The connecting rod 24 is in turn hinged to a pin or plunger releasemember 25 which is pivoted on the head 9 at 2B. The member 25 isprovided with a plurality of extensions 21 positioned beneath the pinsor plungers l8 to enable the member to engage all of the latter whenelevated by the treadle 22 in an obvious manner. The result of suchelevation of the plungers is the upward and rearward withdrawal ofcertain of the elements II and the consequent freeing of the assembledcontainer parts 2, 4 and 5 for withdrawal.

The above described device is simple in nature and enables an operatoractuating the treadle 22 and feeding container elements to the apparatusto speedily and easily convert the knockdown container elements tofinished articles. It is unnecessary to lock up and unlock the segmentsthereof prior to and subsequent to each assembling operation, as hasbeen the case in certain hitherto known devices. Moreover, thisapparatus is ideally suited to the assembly of the particular type ofcontainers referred to above. It is contemplated that devices asdescribed shall be furnished to merchants packaging their products inthe containers under consideration for erection of the containers on thepremises.

In manipulating the container elements relative to the apparatus, rim 4,with a bottom plate inserted therein, is initially disposed in annulargroove ll with the elements H in operative position as illustrated inFig. 3. The tubular member l is then advanced downwardly in eitherpartially or completely collapsed form, as shown in broken lines in Fig.3, until it engages the molding surface constituted by elements I l.Further movement causes the tubular member to expand to circular formshown in solid lines in Fig. 3, and the assembly is completed when theout-turned container sections 2 pass flange 3 of the rim and snapoutwardly into the channel of the same, see Fig. 5, to hold the partssecurely in erected position.

I have illustrated and described my improvements in an embodiment whichis very practical. I have not attempted to illustrate or describe otherembodiments or adaptations as it is believed this disclosure will enablethose skilled in the art to embody or adapt my improvements as may bedesired.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. A container assembling apparatus comprising a supporting upright andbase therefor, a forwardly inclined head provided with a plurality ofpivot ears, segmental complementary conforming sections pivotallymounted on said ears to normally rest on said head, said sections eachhaving an inner arcuate inwardly tapered conforming surface terminatingin an undercut segmental channel, the sections coacting to provide adownwardly tapered annular conforming surface terminating in an annularundercut channel adapted to receive a container rim, said conformingsurface being adapted to conform a container wall to cylindrical form asit is pushed downwardly and to guide the same into a rim disposed insaid channel, releasing pins for certain of said sectionsreciprocatingly mounted in said head, a plate pivotally mounted on theunder side of said head and having an opening therein receiving saidupright, said plate being provided with portions engageable with saidpins to actuate the same, and treadle operated means for actuating saidplate to engage and actuate said pins, said pins engaging theircorresponding sections to pivot the same to release position relative toan assembled container and rim.

2. A container assembling apparatus comprising a head provided with aplurality of pivot ears, segmental complementary conforming sectionspivotally mounted on said ears to normally rest on said head, saidsections each having an inner arcuate inwardly inclined conformingsurface terminating in an undercut segmental channel, the sectionscoacting to provide a downwardly tapered annular conforming surfaceterminating in an annular undercut channel adapted to receive acontainer rim, said conforming surface being adapted to conform acontainer wall to cylindrical form as it is pushed downwardly and toguide the same into a rim disposed in said channel, releasing pins forcertain of said sections reciprocatingly mounted in said head, and areleasing means common to said pins comprising a plate pivotally mountedon said apparatus and having portions engageable with said releasingpins, and treadle actuated means for pivoting said plate to engage andactuate said pins.

3. A container assembling apparatus comprising a head, complementaryconforming sections pivotally mounted on said head to normally rest onsaid head, said sections each having an inner inwardly inclinedconforming surface terminating in an undercut channel, the sectionscoacting to provide a downwardly tapered conforming die terminating inan undercut channel adapted to receive a container rim, said conformingdie being adapted to conform a container wall to final form as it ispushed downwardly and to guide the same into a rim disposed in saidchannel, releasing pins for certain of said sections reciprocatinglymounted in said head, and releasing means common to said pins comprisingan element pivotally mounted on said apparatus and engageable with saidpins and treadle actainer, said mold guiding and expanding a tubularwall member advanced therethrough to bring the wall member to erectedposition within said rim, and means for simultaneously swinging a partonly of said conforming elements upwardly and outwardly as a unit todisengage the same from the assembled rim and Wall member, one or moreof the conforming elements remaining in operative mold-outliningposition to enable the ready and convenient positioning of a 10 rimthereagainst in the assembling operation. JAMES E. ANNEN.

